Imagine dancing onstage in front of 1,000 people.
For ballet dancer and Notre Dame Prep student Meaghan Dutton-O?Hara, 13, this is no problem. In April, she won first prize in the Youth America Grand Prix Regional Competition and went on to compete in the NYC Finals.
“I have had a lot of great acomplishments since I have been dancing with Baltimore Ballet, I feel really honnered when people want to reconize me for dancing. It makes me feel even closer to my goal of one day becoming a professional ballerina,” she said.
On May 20, Meaghan danced the “Carnival of the Animals” with other Baltimore Ballet members. Artistic Director Cem Catbas choreographed the performance, which featured advanced Level 5 ballet students dancing gracefully across the stage.
Each of the pieces in the 30-minute show represented an animal, and some dancers were dressed like elephants, cuckoos, lions, turtles, kangaroos and more.
A great deal of sweat and hard work went into the production of “Carnival of the Animals,” as well as the school’s annual recital.
“The students started rehearsing in late January. They spent about five hours rehearsing each week, and they practiced during Sundays,” said Elysabeth Catbas, managing director of Baltimore Ballet.
“Carnival of the Animals” and the school’s recital took months of planning.
“They started around January, and it took about five months to put everything together, in terms of choreographing and rehearsing,” she said.
Tina Zou is a senior at Centennial High School in Howard County. She is an intern for The Examiner.
